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Monday, February 24, 2014

Betty Pets: Living in Harmony

We all know that Betty loved her pets, mostly in the cat-and-dog categories, but further in horses, ponies, donkeys and an occasional chicken. With the notable exceptions of the Founding Betties, most of the tribe here at TUJD are fans of the house pet as well. Last summer, Betty Magdalen and Betty Ross were kind enough to invite me to their home in the rural mid-Atlantic, and my stay at Harmony was not only blissfully serene but also happily enlivened by the presence of:

Linus

Polly! Sorry for the glare off the book cover.

Mimi, who took me for brisk, Betty-esque walks every day, albeit with a bit more potential for rushing off to chase deer than one finds in Betty-land, where the pets are so extraordinarily well-behaved, and only fall in canals when necessary to bring two young hearts (okay, one young and one verging-on-middle-aged heart) together.

And is also an avid frog hunter

Unless I misunderstood something, all of these wonder-critters are rescue pets. Hooray for Betty M. and Betty R., and for each of their loving, soothing (and occasionally invigorating, cf: Mimi walks above) companions.

My SIL's cat is a black and white lady, her "mask" not as symmetrical as Polly's. My mom's dog used to take us for brisk walks, these days she does not walk (trot) as fast as she used to (which may be because my parents are not as fast and nimble on their feet as they used to be). At the moment, she keeps her nose to the ground, sniffing at just about every other blade of grass, stick or stone, there is no rushing her and she needs to be coaxed all the way. Or, sometimes, half the way, she is usually faster when she knows we're on our way back home. Especially, when it is time for her dinner. She is very smart and a real darling.